Pit Stop

I speak to no one about my encounter with Bill... at least, not until we stop at an intergalactic space fuel station for some intergalactic space fuel station slushies and some intergalactic space fuel station fast food. Sans insists that we sit inside for the fast food instead of speeding off onto the highway again, claiming that he needs some "chill time" after spending two hours in the car with two jumpy teenage girls, and so Star and I sit ourselves down in one of the vibrant pink booths and wait for Sans to finish ordering our food.

I ordered chicken nuggets. But what can I say? Just because I'm 14 doesn't mean I don't still have the basic mind of an 11-year-old. Sure, I have the massive comprehension skills of a college professor... but that doesn't change my taste buds.

Sans is suddenly sitting opposite of us, scrolling through some website on his phone. Unfortunately, since he does not wear glasses, I cannot infer what he is looking at through the reflection, but I do guess from earlier instances that it is something referring to the construction of monster society. Star is also looking at her phone, reading some comments about how amazing everyone thinks she is, and both her and Sans are casually smiling (though I suppose Sans hasn't another choice, since he has a "permagrin," a word I made up to describe his facial structure). I abruptly feel very left out for not having a phone.

The skeleton across the table glances at me, looking up from his screen. "you don't have a phone, do ya?"

I shake my head, staring out the window, into outer space. I feel sort of at a loss for words in this moment, as I'm constantly questioning everything I do, and everything that I don't own. Why does Bill want my comprehension? What is he going to use it for? Why did my parents not give me a phone when I left Earth in the children's space shuttle? How come I only have a rotary telephone back at my shop and have no way to contact my parents other than that and being famous on television?

The thought comes to me, and my eyes widen. My gaze is dragged from the window and to the neon table.

Oh dear goodness.

Sans chuckles from his end of the table. "is somethin' wrong?"

I clear my throat. "Um, nothing."

He smiles, bigger than he usually does. "...sure. does it have anything to do with the fact that you don't have a phone, and you can't tell your parents that you're innocent, so they think their daughter is a criminal after watching the space news channel 101?"

I know he can read expressions... but go-lly! That was accurate!

I nod slowly. "Um, yes, basically."

"k. cool." He looks back down at his phone and doesn't say a word.

Star gives me the side eye. "You don't have a phone?" Shocked, she puts her own phone on the table and stares at me.

I slowly shake my head. "I have... a rotary telephone."

She blinks. She's probably never heard of a rotary telephone, now that I think about it, I think. "You're 14, you live in outer space, and your parents haven't given you a phone yet?" she asks.

I shake my head again. "I got nothin' on me."

Sans's name gets called from the front, and he gets up from his seat, reluctantly walks up to the front, and then disappears around a corner only to appear back in his seat with our food. I stare at him, confused, as he completely interrupts our conversation without using words and slides the tray full of junk food over to us. The only things he takes off the tray aren't even food-- just a few ketchup packets.

I look at him, confused. "Wh... what are you doing?"

He binks. "just gettin' some goods." He slips them into his pocket like they're some illegal substance and brings back out his phone to browse through some online forum.

Star laughs. "He has a thing for ketchup," she says, stating the obvious which I had already observed. She reaches over takes a fry from its paper packaging and eats it like it's a thin piece of paper, then returning to our older conversation. "It must be such a boring life without having a phone," she comments.

I giggle under my breath. "Oh, yeah," I say sarcastically. "It's so boring that I have to run from the police on an account of something I didn't even do. Yes, it's sooo boring."

"gee, you guys are just bundles of joy, huh?" Sans pipes up from the other end of the table. Both of us simultaneously tell him to shut up (and then look at each other in confusion, wondering how we both thought the same thing at the same time) and return to talking amongst each other.

"Actually," I say, trying to be casual about mentioning my dream from earlier where Bill the famous Dorito appeared, "say, Star, uh... you've been to every universe, right?"

She takes another fry from the package and scrolls through her phone. "Yep. 10 times each."

I clear my throat. "Well, in your travels, have you ever heard of, uh... say, a... golden triangle with a tophat?"

She stops. She looks at me. She shoves her phone into her pocket. "He sent you a dream, didn't he."

I swallow. That certainly wasn't a question. "Um... welllllllll..." I twiddle with my fingers and look at the floor. "Mayyyybeeee..."

Star sighs promptly and shakes her head. "Oh, darnit. That's not good." She turns her head, scanning the surrounding empty intergalactic space fuel station fast food restaurant for another living soul, and then looks back at me. "That's... not good at all."

I bite my bottom lip. Juuuust great.

"What did he tell you? What was he trying to say?" She interrogates me like I've committed a felony. "He was trying to convince you to make a deal with him, wasn't he."

Sans is watching us now, seemingly interested in our newfound conversation.

I grab a chicken nugget from the packaging and start to absently gnaw on it. "Well, he was, uh..."

I run out of words. "Yeah, basically."

Star shakes her hands. "What about?! What did he want? What was he trying to take from you?"

"Is all that really so important?" I don't exactly want to reveal the fact that I have extreme comprehension skills. Star might want me to become her accomplice in a life of crime... which honestly wouldn't be so bad, but I'd just prefer not to at this moment in time.

"Yes. Yes, it is." She folds her arms. "I've dealt with him 10 whole times before, and every time I have, he offered me something, I said no, and then he found a situation where I needed his help and forced me to make a deal with him. And then, of course, all hell on Earth."

Sans blinks, but he doesn't say a word.

I shove the chicken nugget into my mouth to avoid further conversation for at least a few more seconds. Star stares at me while I slowly chew it, impatient for us to continue this important exchange of words.

I swallow, and then reach for another one. She places my hand back into my lap and asks, "What was he trying to give you?"

I lean back in my seat. "Uh... uh... well..."

She waves her hands. "It's a simple question!"

Is Sans taking a video of us? I feel like he is. I keep my mind distracted from giving Star any answer.

She taps me on the shoulder. "Hello? I'm still here, still waiting for you to give me something, cuz if Bill Cipher was talking to you then we've got a really big problem!"

I sigh. "He was gonna give me, uh, everything I wanted. Basically." I feel like "basically" somehow makes it less intense.

"Oh, that's not good," Star breathes. "He really wants to get something out of you, then."

"Yeah, no." I cough. "I'm not telling you what that was."

She looks at me inconspicuously, then shrugs her shoulders. "OK, fine. But if he's willing to give you everything you want, then there has to be some enormous trade-off."

"Exactly!" I wave my arms. "I'm not an idiot! I know for sure that he's tryna do somethin' bad! I've seen his TV show, y'know."

"hey, buckos." Sans waves at us from his side of the table. "how 'bout we get going here before you cause mass destruction?"

Yeah, we are getting pretty loud. "Wanna take the food in a box?"

"nah." He gets up from his booth. "i don't keep food in the taxi. it ruins the new car smell."

And yet he has ketchup packets in his pockets. How strange. Star and I both stand up, beg Sans to buy us some slushies, and then leave behind the intergalactic space fuel station fast food restaurant to go back to the highway. I sit in the passenger's seat, as per usual (and also because I called "shotgun" first), and before Sans gets the car going, Star peeks around the front of the seat and tells me something of great importance.

"Hey, if he comes to visit you again, do me a favor, wouldja? Kick him in the eye."

I kick the dash with my foot and Sans gives me a look. "I'll be sure to."

"Oh, and less importantly, don't make a deal with him."

I nod my head. Sans reaches over to buckle me in, since I always forget, and says his usual "safety first." "I'll be sure not to," I respond to Star.

And off we go. Still on the run from the intergalactic space police and their intergalactic space police dogs.

Oh boy. Here we go.

***

[This was fun. I thought I'd do it just because. I don't have much to say, except that I love groovy music like the one I posted for this.. post... and that I'd love to have some feedback.

[Next chapter might be the second to last, actually. Part 1 is ending soon!

[Side note: All character(s) used in the series belonging to Gravity Falls and/or Undertale are not my property. I do not own them and use them purely for the purposes of fanfiction. No copyright infringement intended.]

CHAPTER 6 COMING SOON, YO!

Also what?! Top Story?! Dude, MGTGD is popular here on Vocal! Yoooooo! Catch up on chapters 1-4 by browsing my profile!